On October 20th 2023, between 18 and 22 civilians – including women and children – all members of the ‘Abu Al-Naja’ family were killed, and between 79 and 114 others were injured after an alleged Israeli airstrike on their residential home in the Abu-Shahla neighbourhood in east Khan Yunis, Gaza. It has been reported that the house was subject to an airstrike whilst the residents were asleep.
@ShehabAgency reported that the Abu Al-Naja household was one of six residential homes struck by the Israeli military in the Khan Yunis Governorate. Ambulance and civil defence crews were on-site to take those killed and wounded to Nasser Medical Hospital. The grandparents of the family, Khaled Mahmoud Abu Al-Naja, and his wife Muzain Musa Abu Al-Naja were killed during the alleged strike, along with their five children: Hani Khaled Abu Al-Naja (son), Khalil Khaled Abu Al-Naja (son), Jana Khaled Abu Al-Naja (daughter), Nancy Khaled Abu Al-Naja (daughter) and Hanaa Khaled Abu Al-Naja (daughter). The alleged strike also killed the husband of Hanaa Abu Al-Naja, Suleiman Mahmoud Abu Rock, and the wife of Hani Abu Al-Naja, Israa Al-Muzain.
There were also nine grandchildren of Khaled Abu Al-Naja and Muzain Abu Al-Naja killed during the alleged strike. Six children of Hani Abu Al-Naja and Israa Al-Muzain were killed: Khaled (son), Ahmed (son), Muhannad (son), Rand (daughter) Rawand (daughter) and Raghad (daughter). Two children of Hanaa Abu Al-Naja and Suleiman Mahmoud Abu Rock were killed: Remas (daughter) and Mahmoud (son). The daughter of Nancy Khaled Abu Al-Naja, Toleen (daughter), was also killed during the alleged airstrike.
Since the incident, family members have posted tributes online. Marwa Mohammed Naja, the great niece of Muzain Musa Abu Al-Naja, commiserated the death of her great aunt, and Khaled Mahmoud Abu Al-Naja along with the other “22 people in the house”. These sentiments were echoed by Waam Younes Abu Al-Naja, the niece of Muzain Musa Abu Al-Naja, in a Facebook post that states that more than 20 members of the Abu Al-Naja family were killed during the alleged airstrike. However, the @AbuAl-NajaFamilyGatheringOfficial Facebook post states that 18 members of the family were killed during the alleged Israeli airstrike.
There has also been an outpouring of tributes via Facebook from the cousins of Suleiman Mahmoud Abu Rock, among whom include Ahmad Abu Rok, Ola N. Reck, Deya Abu Rouk and Raed Rouk, Zakrua Haesan Rok. The former neighbour of Suleiman Mahmoud Abu Rock, Wael Abdelaziz Alnaka, expressed his regret at the death of Suleiman and his wife Hanaa along with their two children.
@ShehabAgency initially reported that 34 injuries resulted from the recent attacks on Khan Yunis, then raised the number to 51, and ultimately reported the number of 79 injuries. However, it is unclear how many injuries occurred amongst this incident. @PalinfoAr put the number of injuries at 114, and images posted by @ShehabAgency show at least three children being treated for injuries in a medical facility.
At least 20 members of an “Al Naja” family were also reported killed in an incident three days prior, recorded in Airwars’ archive in ISPT0298.
Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed the strikes to Israeli forces.
Where possible, Airwars has matched names with the Palestinian Ministry of Health list of nearly 7000 victims’ names and ID numbers released on October 26th.